Les Jones

Home Life > Jonathan Hickman Wants Baby Gear Advice

Jonathan is asking for advice for baby preparations. Here's my long-winded advice.

• We've been happy with Avent brand for baby bottles (the nipples on the Playtex kept stopping up) and Gerber for sippy cups. It's a good idea to stick to one brand for each. That way in the middle of the night when you're bleary-eyed and grab one bottle and one top they're guaranteed to fit together.
• Babies get sick and don't feel good. You'll want a nasal aspirator and a couple of rectal thermometers. If the baby starts choking use your index finger to sweep out their mouths. Mylicon drops seem to help with upset tummies.
• Buy baby wipes by the case. You'll use them.
• We've used a swing, boppy, Bumbo, and bouncy chair and they're all handy sometimes. There will be days when you're grateful for something that will help a baby stay balanced while they're learning to sit, or anything that will help a crying baby fall asleep.
• Speaking of which - ear plugs by the dozen. Melissa and I take turns wearing them sometimes so that at least one of us gets some sleep.

Clothes

• For an infant you can't have enough onesie t-shirts. Melissa likes Carter brand better than the easier-to-find Gerber brand, and also likes Old Navy and the pricey Jamboree brand.
• Avoid baby shoes with shoestrings. It's hard enough to put shoes on a kicking, screaming baby without having to tie shoes. They'll just untie them anyway.
• They'll pull their socks off, too. In fact the only reason to put shoes on a child that isn't walking or starting to walk is to keep their socks on.
• Jammies with feet and outfits with feet solve the sock-pulling-off problem.
• You can drive yourself crazy trying to match kids socks out of the drier, especially since their mates are probably in the car, or the other car, or the diaper bag, or in the crib, or under the couch. We try to buy a half dozen pairs of the same socks at a time.
• You can get used baby clothes that look like new. Melissa buys used clothes at church sales for about a fifth of the new price. That's especially nice for Jamboree and other designer baby clothes that we otherwise couldn't justify. (You can spend $75 on one baby outfit at Jamboree, or buy it a church sale for $15.)

Church sales in general are great. There's one Friday and Saturday at Concord Baptist Church. Most of our outdoor toys, our double stroller, and many of the kids' toys and outfits came from church sales.

The other thing is that some of these things will just come to you by good fortune. People are remarkably kind about sharing baby clothes and toys. We've been the beneficiaries of friends' generosity and always appreciated it.